Winter Warning

There will be a winter to remember for the years 2008-2009. If you have preparations to make, now is the time. Some of those gotcha items include anti-freeze, engine heaters, heating oil, insulation, and warm clothing. Now is a good time to address these items.

If you use heating oil, you may want to invest in a larger tank and have it filled before the demand sends the price skyrocketing. Check your car engine heater and make sure it will function. Now is also the time to but anti-freeze, winter apparel, and have your home insulated.

Why am I so sure about the coming winter? It is the Solar cycle that is the tell tale about the coming winter. With the solar flux averaging in the mid-60's and with very low sunspot activity the stage is set. The current solar cycle was supposed to begin its active period but instead has remained quiet throughout this year.

What does it mean to have a less active solar cycle? Without the CME's (Coronal Mass Ejections) and magnetic storms on the Sun that cause the Sunspots to appear, there is less solar wind. A process not completely understood is how the solar wind affects the formation of clouds. We get more clouding during the times of a quiet solar period and more clouds mean we have an umbrella of sorts shielding us from the radiant energy of the Sun. Historical records positively link the solar activity with the Earth's temperature.

If you are one of the Kool-Aid drinkers that believe Al Gore and his nonsensical CO2 proposal, you are in for a rude awakening. The CO2 issue is a political issue and not a scientific one. The only standing that I will allow with the CO2 nonsense is that it brings awareness to our need for energy independence. Energy independence is a good thing and I am happy that it is being spotlighted even if fallaciously with the hype about global warming.

Only time will tell if this winter will be the last hard winter for a while. Monitoring the solar activity is easy and you can keep up with it by going to this website.

http://www.dxlc.com/solar/

Copy and paste into your browser if you cannot follow the link.

Cheers,

-Robert-